Children / Preschools / A bonus for hiring men

Researchers Inga Wernersson and Ingrid Granbom reviewed efforts to include men in the traditionally woman-dominated field.

They looked at different policies to include more men at different levels of teaching since the 1960s. There were efforts in the 60s and 70s to increase their representation in teacher training, but the efforts did not address the imbalance at preschool level.

Swedish children have the right to state-financed preschools from the age of one until they start school at age seven.

Umeå is currently the best at enticing men to preschool teacher training. At Umeå Univeristy they make up 21 percent of the course, and there are also many men working in the northern city’s preschools.

Northern Sweden did better overall in the statistics and, in general, the cities had more male preschool teachers than the national average.

In the report, researchers note that individual school principals are the key to whether the preschools prioritize a more gender-equal workplace.

The report, commissioned by the National Agency for Education (Skolverket), looks in detail at a Norwegian campaign on state level since 2001 that aims to introduce more men to the profession.

Norway offered 12 preschools a reward of 50,000 Norwegian kroner ($9,000) if they hit a 20-percent target, which several of them did.

Choosen excerpts by Job Market Monitor from

via ‘Offer preschools a bonus for hiring men’ – The Local.